Tell Me Something Tuesday

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general.

Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.

If you would like to join TMST and receive periodic emails of upcoming topics, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM. TMST is a laid back meme – join in or opt out depending on your interest in topics or schedule.

Question: How do you like to be scared? Horror or thriller?

Answer: I really don't scare easily so it's hard for me to find books or movies the fit the bill. And thrillers bore me to tears so nope on those.

Back in the day I read Stephen King and the only book of his that creeped me out was Pet Sematary & that's mostly because younger me probably would have tried to bring my pets back to life lol

As for movies there have only been a few that gave me the heebie jeebies.

The Decent a 2005 horror film about a group of women who go spelunking in an underground caving system and they're not alone. I am SUPER claustrophobic and this movie captures that feeling really well. In fact, it wasn't even the monsters that scared me but the idea of being trapped underground.  

And Silence of the Lambs scared me but not because of Hannibal Lechter. That was sort of an over-the-top performance (good but not scary to me). It was the serial killer that was luring women into vans and skinning them that scared the shit out of me because it could happen.

I tend to be more afraid of reality than Hollywood scares.

I do love Halloween and creepy stories and movies though - it's just that I don't get truly scared. And the overly realistic ones - like serial killers - creep me out to the point that I'm afraid to go out and live life so I don't read or watch those. 

And seriously, real life is so much scarier than anything made up right now.

What about you? Do you like to be scared?

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Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general.

Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.

If you would like to join TMST and receive periodic emails of upcoming topics, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM. TMST is a laid back meme – join in or opt out depending on your interest in topics or schedule.

Question: Comfort foods and comfort reads. Now that the weather is getting cooler, share some of yours.

Answer: Cold winters are new to me (after almost 30 years in FL – now living in WA state) so cold weather comfort meals are somewhat new to me. In FL. Winters used to me mean strawberry, citrus and farmers market season - the exact opposite of comfort food.

But if I must adapt to colder weather - there's no better way than through soups and stews.

I’ve become a huge fan of my Instant Pot and our absolute favorite meal is this Chicken and Dumpling recipe from Dessert for two. I double all the ingredients and make it in my 6qt pot instead of the 3qt she uses and reheat any leftovers with a new batch of dumplings the next day.

A new favorite (also from Dessert for Two) is her Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff recipe. Everything, including the noodles, is cooked in one pot.

Veggie noodle & pea soup are favorite standby’s too. Again, the Instant Pot is my secret weapon. Just toss everything in and it’s ready in under 10 minutes.

And, of course, bread - any kind of warm bread! I just ordered a bread machine and I'm looking forward to whipping up a loaf at any time!

As for non stew/soup comfort foods – I love warm cider with caramel drizzle from the local coffee shop. I haven’t had it yet this fall, but the cold, rainy weather has already started so I expect to get there soon. We always grab one and a biscotti to take for our walk by the water.

Comfort Reads: Honestly, I just read whatever but I will always feel most comforted by a sweet romance

Do you have a cold weather comfort food or read?

Monday Minis: I’m Dreaming of a White…October???

I’m not usually a big seasonal reader - and I'm reading the wrong season lol - but give me all the sweet, Hallmark holiday, HEA, romance vibes right now!

These two check all those boxes and were pretty flipping adorable.

First up…

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (Pine hollow #1) by Lizzie Shane ~ Goodreads Ben, an overwhelmed single dad (Uncle to his orphaned niece) has a meet cute with Ally Gilmore, a photographer who heads back to her small hometown to take care of her aging grandparents and to help save their animal shelter of misfit canines after funding is cut off right before Christmas.

This book was just adorable and heartwarming. Ally and Ben get off on the wrong foot (& he’s quite the grumpster at first) but end up having this slow burn friendship/romance while they both learn to put their trust in community, friends, family and each other. It was just the sweetest but also had a lot of great life messages. And puppies!!

This seriously needs to be made into a Hallmark movie! 

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren ~ Goodreads “One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners.”

That summary suggest a love triangle vibe but that’s a bit misleading so no worries there. 

Mae Jones always spends Christmas with her (divorced) parents with their family friends in a cabin in Utah. Her best friend is Theo while she secretly pines for his brother Andrew, who sees her as a little sister.

After a drunken kiss with one of the brothers, Mae’s life is thrown into a tailspin – and a Groundhog Day scenario where she keeps reliving the trip until she can figure out exactly what the universe is trying to get her to do to make things right.

This was pretty hilarious. Each restart produces a different set of problems for Mae but she does her best to heal her friendship with Theo, get the man of her dreams and save the cabin and figure out what to do with her life.

The whole cast was great, the setting was fun and Chistmasy with a touch of magic.

My one teeny-tiny complaint would be that I didn’t think one character was given enough depth and it weakened the story a bit but otherwise it was absolutely delightful and fun!

Are you reading holiday stories yet? Or is it #TooSoon?

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Originally hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings, Tell Me Something Tuesday (TMST) is a weekly feature where we talk about books, blogging, and life. Heidi is on an extended hiatus and is allowing a few us to take over the running of TMST until she decides to come back. 

This has been one of my favorite memes to participate in. It's VERY low key - you just join in when you feel like it, the questions cover a range of topics and often give me a prompt when I otherwise don't feel like blogging. There's NO PRESSURE. Just jump in or out as the mood strikes.

Jen from That's What I'm Talking About, Linda from Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Berls from Because Reading is Better than Real Life, Roberta from Offbeat YA, and myself, got together to create the weekly topics/questions in advance. 

This week we have a linky for anyone who wants to participate and link up – just to get an idea of who participates - but we won’t be doing that every week and you are not required to link up.

We have a brand new AWESOME graphic designed and donated by Michelle with Limabean Designs. Please visit her shop: https://mylimabeandesigns.com/. Thank you Michelle!

If you are interested in participating in TMST or receiving periodic emails that list the upcoming TMST topics and questions, please fill out this GOOGLE FORM.  Participation is optional and never required.

If you are participating in TMST and want to leave your blog in the linky, please join in!

My Monday Musings

 

I should be reading and writing reviews but tbh, I've been feeling completely frazzled lately.

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I haven't been feeling great, Figgy has been needing me to give fluids at home (he just looooves that) and several meds - he's peeing and pooping everywhere (my house is now covered in plastic and pee pads) and has to go see a pricey specialist. Ripley has a urinary tract infection and is supposed to get spayed Friday. Just 2 visits for the 2 of them last week cost a fortune. And a few other little things. 

Then there's just everything going on in the world.

But anyway - this is all to say, I'm barely keeping things together and want to tell everyone to f*ck off all the time so maybe I should take at least the week off 😂

Before I go - I want to rec two books that I read for review but aren't in the frame of mind to write up anything yet.

If you're looking for romance with a strong Hallmark-ish vibe these two are great choices.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas by Lizzie Shane ~ Goodreads 

"A delightful holiday romance about a small-town single dad and an animal rescue owner as they try to find forever homes for a dozen lovable pups before Christmas."

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren ~ Goodreads

"One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners."

So, that's it for now and, hopefully, I'll be back soon-ish after take some time to relax a bit.

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Review: All Our Worst Ideas by Vicky Skinner

Two teens who have nothing in common work together at a record store in All Our Worst Ideas, a powerful and voice-driven YA novel from Vicky Skinner.

When Amy, on her way to becoming valedictorian of her graduating class and getting accepted to her dream school, gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she takes a job at a record store to ease the pain. She needs a distraction, badly.

Oliver, Amy’s record store co-worker, isn’t so sure about Amy—his complete opposite—but what he is sure of is his decision not to go to college. He just can’t figure out how to tell his mother.

As they work late-night shifts at the record store, Amy and Oliver become friends and then confidantes and then something more, but when Amy has a hard time letting go of what she thought was her perfect future with her ex, she risks losing the future she didn’t even know she wanted with Oliver. ~ Goodreads

Source: arc provided by Swoon Reads in exchange for an honest review

Review: Amy is driven to her single minded goal of becoming valedictorian of her class and winning a scholarship to her dream school, Stanford.

Unfortunately, her drive comes at a cost. Her boyfriend feels ignored and dumps her and her arch nemesis and main competition for valedictorian, Petra, is pulling ahead of her. To add to her stress, she needs to get a job because her family has hit a rough financial patch. She decides to apply to Spirits, a local record store even if it proves to be distracting to her studies.

Oliver is in charge of training Amy and is not thrilled about it. She’s uptight, smart & driven – things that Oliver can’t relate to. He’s taking a gap year while telling his mom that he’s applying to colleges but isn’t sure if that’s the right path for him. 

Oliver’s mom is dead set on him going to college to avoid the fate of his alcoholic father – a man that Oliver is still taking care of and picking up after. On the flip side, Amy’s mom wants her to aim lower, thinking she might not be able to get into Stanford. This hurts Amy terribly.

Amy & Oliver’s growing friendship, the record store, the playlist (& the entire awesome crew there) were a lot of fun but that was tempered by the very real issues both had to confront.

I really loved watching them break down each others walls – Oliver is SO grumpy at first lol and Amy so hyper focused on school and winning her ex back – but more importantly, how they stand up for each other when it counts.

There are definitely mistakes and drama going on but they were both such good kids struggling to do the right thing that it didn’t bother me.

One thing that sort of set off my red flag warnings is how much Oliver relied on Amy to make his life worthwhile. That’s never healthy in a relationship but it was, thankfully, addressed.

And added points for making Petra more than Amy’s cliché nemesis!

All Our Worst Ideas was fun, yet heartfelt, with real life issues YA in the vein of You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson – another book I really loved this year.